Stencil



(No Model.)

J. R. BOURNE.

STENCIL.

No. 451,105; Patented Apr. 28, 1891,

mo Mu INVENTOR,

ATTORNE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN R. BOURNE, OF ROCHESTER, NElV YORK.

' STENCIL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,105, dated April 28, 1891. Application filed January 26, 1891. Serial No.379,134. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN R. BOURNE, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stencils; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

My present invention has for its object to provide an improved stencil in which the letters can be readily connected, making a continuous plate without the necessity of employing a holding-frame, whereby not onlyis the construction simplified and cheapened, but the formation of new combinations of the letters 'or characters can be accomplished more rapidly than heretofore and changed when desired. Further, the letter or character plates can be formed-by machinery at a single operation and do not require any manipulation or finishing by hand. The stencil, as a whole, formed by my letter-plates is also flexible and may be readily bent around curved surfaces or will lie perfectly flat and not interfere with the operation of rubbing the brush over it.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain novelties of construction and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter described, and the novel features pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings, Figurel is a plan View of a stencil composed of a series of my letter and character plates connected; Fig. 2, a plan view of a letter-plate; Fig. 3, a perspective view showing the manner of connecting the plates; Fig. 4, a section on the line w w of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a section on the line y y of Fig. 1; Figs. 6 and 7, views of modifications.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures denote similar parts.

The plates forming the subject-matter of my present invention (designated by 1) are preferably of thin metal, more or less springy-as brass, for instance-and each has a letter, figure, or other character cut therein in the usual manner, as shown. One of the edges of the plates 1 is struck up slightly, as at 2, so that when they are connected their lower surfaces will lie flat on the surface to be marked,and the other will offer no sharp obstruction to the passage of the ink-brush, so that the ink will not be spattered beneath the plates. For the purpose of securing these character-plates together each is provided on one side with a series of end wise-engaging locking projections and on the other with a series of corresponding recesses for the accommodation of said projections, which I prefer to form during the formation of the plates. In the present embodiment of the invention I do this by forming at the ends, near one edge, preferably the overlapping one, projections 3 3, formed by cutting slits 4L therein, while the sockets or recesses are formed on the ends at the other side-by striking up the metal loops 5, as shown. In putting these plates together, the upper one is bent or sprung up, as shown in Fig. 3, and the tongues 3 inserted in the loops 5, when the plate, in springing back to normal or straight position, will hold them in engagement and secure them together, preventing accidental displacement, and a series of letter-plates thus joined will form a complete stencil which is flexible and requires no extra frame.

While I prefer the form shown, it is obvious that various modifications could be made, as shown, for instance, in Fig. 6, in which the ends of the plate are turned over for its full width, forming a fiat head or flange 7, this being notched at one side, as at 8, forming a tongue 9, corresponding to tongue 3, and the socket or recess on the other for reception of the corresponding tongue on the next plate, formed by turning up a small projection 10, entering the slot 8, the end of projection 10 being received beneath the bead or flange 7, as will be understood. This modification would be more expensive to make than the one shown in the other figures, and therefore I prefer the latter; but it serves to illustrate one form coming within my invention, embodying, as it does, corresponding projections and recesses;

While it is desirable, for obvious reasons, to employ plates more or less springy, it will be understood that I could use plates that were not so, andv after bending them up and engaging the co-operating parts give them a set in the other direction, so as to hold them in engagement, as will be readily understood.

In the drawings I have shown a series of plates having locking projections on one side and locking-recesses on the other; but, if de-v sired to connect only two platesbearing Words, for instance-these plates need only have tongues on one and (so-operating recesses on the other, as shown on the two end pieces in Fig. 1.

It will be understood that, if desired, the projections on the stencil-plates could project inwardly and the recesses be adapted to engage from the outer side, the one having the recesses thereon being. capable of being bent or flexed, so as to secure the engagement, as shown in Fig. '7, in which the projections are substantially the same as in the other figures, except that they are reversed in position.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of two stencil-plates, one having tongues near its ends and the other corresponding sockets, said tongues and sockets engaging from opposite directions, and one of said plates being capable of being bent or flexed to permit the engagement of the tongues, and sockets to fasten the plates together, substantially as described.

2. As an article of manufacture, a stencilplate capable of being flexed or bent, and having on one side nearits ends tongues proj ecting in opposite directions and on its other side corresponding sockets, whereby they may become engaged with the recesses of a corresponding plate by bending, as set forth.

3. As an article of manufacture, a stencilplate of flat springy material having tongues on one side near the ends projecting in oppo- 

